V&A Announces Constantinople to Istanbul Exhibition Opening November 2026
On June 10, 2026, the Victoria and Albert Museum announced Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires, a major exhibition opening on 7 November 2026 and running through 9 May 2027 in Gallery 39 and North Court. The first UK show to present 1,600 years of the city's history from AD 330 to 1922, it will display over 200 objects drawn from the V&A collection and loans from the British Museum, British Library, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul, Benaki Museum and other institutions. Presented in partnership with Koç Holding and with support from the Huo Family Foundation, the exhibition is divided into four sections tracing imperial patronage, religious art and urban life.
The Signal
The pairing of Byzantine and Ottoman material under one roof gives curators and collectors a rare framework for assessing the transmission of techniques and iconography across successive empires. Loans such as the Lincoln Typikon and the 1479 Bellini portrait of Mehmed II underscore institutional willingness to lend key works, while the emphasis on textiles, metalwork and processional objects points to sustained collector interest in Ottoman court production. The project also signals the V&A's continued strategy of large-scale, cross-period shows that reposition London as a hub for Mediterranean art histories.
- People: Tim Stanley
- Museums: Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, Benaki Museum, Lincoln College Oxford
- Locations: London
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